There is a voice calling in the dark (1)
The shadow created by the moonlight was casting over the city of Moshiam.
A city without an owner and a city that has not yet escaped the scars of war.
Although Moshiam had been taken over by the forces sent from the center, it was still left bare without even the broken gates being repaired.
“Haam……”
So now the only ones protecting Moshiam are soldiers who seem to have no motivation.
The soldiers dozing off now were soldiers sent from the Northern Union and had no proper affection or responsibility for this city.
“Pierre. “It is done.”
“okay.”
There were people watching their reckless posture from afar.
The guards felt that today’s darkness was softer and stickier, although they did not know why.
It started as one, but soon yawning sounds were heard from everywhere.
The guards’ eyelids began to feel heavy as the night’s softness seemed to slowly caress their hair.
“I fell asleep.”
The guards who were paying attention may have thought it was only a short time, but for some, it was enough time to pass through the castle gate.
The unknown people who sent the blessing of peace over the flowing darkness succeeded in entering the city of Moshiam without any restraint, as they intended.
“Moshiam……”
The guard dozing aimlessly. The broken castle gate. And unidentified people passing through them.
Pierre stopped for a moment among the people passing by and looked up at the broken castle gate.
“Are you saying this was all destroyed on purpose?”
A tall man whose height does not suit his skinny body.
When he pulled back his hood, you could see that an old rosary, symbolizing the Holy See, was hanging on his chest.
※※※※
There were three people walking through the morning fog.
Two people riding a black horse and a young donkey.
“Heh…heh.”
And even one beastman man without any vehicle.
“You barely walked on that and you’re out of breath?”
“No, this is a bit difficult to keep up with.”
“Didn’t you say that all beastmen have good physical strength? “That’s what I heard.”
“It all depends on individual differences. You must not be caught by prejudice. Sir.”
“No, it’s because we’re in trouble now if we don’t act according to our prejudices.”
“……”
Nibelun, who was walking with his tongue out, quickly closed his mouth as Vlad began to scold him.
Contrary to his appearance, this knight, who had a crooked mentality, still did not let down his guard against Nibelun.
“Here’s the water.”
“oh my. thank you “Priest.”
“I am still just a deacon. “You can’t call me a priest.”
“flaw. Even so, the way you give is already a great priest.”
Nibelun’s ears perked up as he took the water bottle that Jean handed him.
Jean, who had seen the beast people for the first time through Nibelun, was looking at them in awe.
“It will be Moshiam in a little while, so keep your mouth shut there.”
“yes.”
“Just like in the last village, don’t hesitate to say whatever you want to say without saying anything.”
“……yes.”
I don’t know if it was a reprimand or a warning, but there was a good reason why Vlad made such a request.
‘They said they wouldn’t say anything…’
Although it was only a few days’ trip, Vlad was able to vaguely identify a person named Nibelun.
A man possessed by a strange passion.
A man named Nibelun may appear normal normally, but in the field he focuses on, he suddenly turns into a madman.
And Vlad, who had lived in the back alleys for a long time, knew well that these types of people were the most dangerous.
“Stop right in front of there! “Get off your horse and identify yourself!”
Even as I was struggling to walk, I got closer to my destination, and finally, in the distance, I could see the castle wall beyond the thick fog.
Moshiam. A city that harbored a strange being.
The guards guarding the place saw three people approaching the gate and blocked the road.
“Beast people?”
“hello. Nice to meet you. “This is our first time meeting you, right?”
Nibelun’s greeting was appropriate for the situation, but somewhat unsettling.
Although he had told him to keep his mouth shut, Vlad frowned when he saw Nibelun talking to the guard.
“Is this your first time in this city?”
“Iknow, right. It was my first time, but I really wanted to go in. “The broken gate is very cool.”
“…….”
It only takes a brief conversation to distinguish between normal and abnormal.
The guard had already discovered some distorted pieces in Nibelun’s conversation.
As a warning from the previous village, which sounded like a curse, Nibelun was a person who had no understanding of the world of others.
“There guy. “Get off your horse and identify yourself.”
A pale young knight, a young deacon, and a strange beastman man.
Seeing the combination that looked even more suspicious than when it was in the fog, Moshiam’s guards mercilessly lowered their spears.
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“Do I have to get off?”
“Don’t talk nonsense and come down. “I dragged the beastman tribe along, so you don’t plan on going in quietly, do you?”
“Well, that’s true.”
In fact, I will do the same.
Nibelun’s expression, which was still smiling brightly, looked somehow strange, as if he was wearing a mask.
Even if the beastmen were not welcome, Nibelun’s current appearance was enough to stop them.
“Please reveal your identity and purpose for coming here.”
“for a moment. “I left it here.”
The guard in front of the suspicious people had a sharp tone of voice, but Vlad in front of him was actually calm.
“iced coffee. “Here it is.”
What if Nibelun is strange and what if Jean is young?
The boy who didn’t even have the qualifications to go in and out of the castle gate and was digging holes was no longer there.
Vlad, who is here now, was a person who could open closed doors not only for himself but for others.
“Just take it for a moment.”
“huh?”
Things that are handed out so naturally.
The items were handed over indifferently, but the guard’s expression began to harden as he checked the items.
“This is a certificate made in Shoara…. For your information, Count Bayezid personally stamped it.”
“Ugh.”
“And this is a confirmation letter from Bishop Andrea.”
“Sigh!”
“I am a knight named Vlad. “Wait a minute, Bayezid’s emblem is engraved on the pommel.”
A knight appointed directly by Count Bayezid and a guide to young deacons guaranteed by Bishop Andrew.
And the knight of the North who can already prove himself with his name alone. Vlad.
“This identity card was given directly by the Varna Church, and if you look here, Andrea’s guarantee is engraved on it.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Jean’s face turned pitiful as he looked at the guard.
The proofs that Vlad brought out one after another were too heavy for a single gatekeeper to accept.
Every time Vlad took something out of his arms, the faces of the guards around him turned black.
“Can I pass now?”
“Please pass by…”
Vlad was smiling as he looked at the guards, still looking like a boy.
He looked like a child who wanted to show off something shiny.
※※※※
Vlad passed through the castle gate and looked at the flags fluttering above.
Although it was difficult to clearly identify them due to the fog, there were certainly some familiar flags hanging among them.
‘Baranov Bayezid and Haynal…’
Seven flags representing the North.
The only thing that has changed is that the flag of Utman has been lowered and the new flag of Hainal has been raised.
Like the appearance of not one but several flags waving, the city of Mosiam was currently being managed under the name of the Northern Union, a community without the rule of any lord.
“Follow me! “I will guide you!”
“okay.”
Mosiam, which we entered following the guidance of overly disciplined guards, looked somehow eerie.
It was clearly a highway that crossed the city, but there were only stores around that weren’t even open.
I don’t know if it was because of the thick fog, but I couldn’t even see people coming and going, giving off an odd atmosphere.
“It’s so quiet…”
“That’s why the deacon came here. “This is a city that needs the word of God more than ever.”
Vlad looked at Jean, who was shrinking at the sight of an unfamiliar city, and comforted him with a warm voice.
As Vlad said, the city of Moshiam is a place that needs God’s comfort more than any other city in the north.
Andrea said that not only Jean but most of the deacons whose time came were headed to Moshiam.
“Seeing the fog filled area reminds me of that time. “I’m sure you can do well.”
“Are you leaving today?”
Even though he had been acting brave up until now, Jean was still just a young boy.
Jean, who knew full well that the mission of the knight who had reliably protected him up to this point ended here, was looking at Vlad uneasily.
“I’m not going right away, but I’ll probably stay here for a while. “For about a week.”
“ah. thank god.”
Vlad smiled slightly as he looked at Jean who unconsciously sighed in relief.
Although this was the beginning of his journey on his own, it was also a time when the young deacon needed help from someone.
‘Take good care of him.’
Vlad knew well why Andrea had attached herself to Jean.
It must have been a need for a guardian who came from the heart, not just a simple mission.
Although he was bound by the rules of the church, the young deacon whom he had raised since he was a baby was something that went beyond the meaning of a disciple to Andrea.
“for a moment.”
“yes?”
So now Vlad was blocking Jean’s path.
From the moment he entered the city, his duty as a guide was over, but Vlad still had no hesitation in calling himself Jean’s protector.
“The guard in front. “Stop for a moment.”
Jean and the guard are taken aback by Vlad’s sudden restraint.
However, the Nibelun, a beast race, had their ears prickled and were following the sound coming from beyond the fog.
“Someone is crying.”
“…….”
“I think it’s a woman.”
The sound coming from beyond the invisible fog was a woman’s cries.
A low, shallow, but continuous cry.
After seeing the fog, the woman, and the cries, Vlad slowly placed his hand on the scabbard, feeling a sense of déjà vu as if he had experienced it some time ago.
“Black, dark….”
In the middle of a city street with no one around.
Jean and the guards, who finally saw the approaching crying sound, swallowed dry saliva and turned their heads in the direction from which the sound was coming.
“Please find the child. Uncle, is this my child…”
What emerged through the dense fog of the city was a crying woman.
The woman, who was carrying an empty swaddle on her back, saw the guard, collapsed against him, and began to cry bitterly.
“What’s going on?”
The atmosphere was similar, but they were not the same entity.
The woman who was crying now wasn’t anything special, nor was she shedding dark tears.
“Ah, this is…”
The guard holding the helplessly crying woman explained the situation to Vlad with a troubled expression.
“There are quite a few crazy women like this in this city.”
“why?”
“That…”
The guard, who hastily handed the woman over to another soldier, scratched his head.
“They say the evil being here harmed many children. “I don’t know the details, though.”
The woman who was crying suddenly walked towards Jean and took the swaddle she was carrying.
There was no way Jean could have gone in there, but the crying woman seemed to be having a hard time enduring the absence of the empty swaddle.
“There are very few children in this city right up to the deacon’s age. “Even if they do, their parents don’t want to send them out.”
“……okay?”
Vlad quietly stroked his chest while listening to the cries of the woman who was getting farther and farther away from the soldiers.
Armor received from the elves and repaired by the dwarves.
The message I received from San Logino still remained on the chest of the armor, which was warmer than before.
※※※※
“I’m sorry. “The leader is currently away.”
“I understand that you came suddenly. I will wait.”
The city hall, which was now empty, was currently occupied by knights from the Northern Orthodox Church.
“Hmm…”
Vlad quickly suppressed a yawn as he sat down on a chair to wait for the leader who had gone out on a mission.
‘I’m so sleepy.’
Seeing Jean and Nibelun sleeping on his shoulder, Vlad forced his eyes open, wiping away a few languid tears with his fingers.
However, once the sleep started to fall, it was heavy and my eyelids were sticking together and not coming off easily.
“Ugh…”
The air inside the building was warm, unlike the cold outside.
The camping that has been going on for the past few days and the relief that we have finally reached our destination.
Vlad crossed his arms, thinking of the leader who might come at any moment, then lowered his head and fell asleep.
※※※※
Let’s go around, let’s go around the match.
Let’s go around the matches singing happily.
Until my bright red hair turns black.
Until the song I was singing ended…….
“…….”
A dark but bright place.
Was there even a festival?
I could hear children singing from in front.
In a dream where I was immersed in a swamp, there was a large bonfire, and the bonfire had a gentle flame, lighting up the dark surroundings.
“…….”
The space in my dream was a comfortable place, like a mother’s arms.
This is a safe and happy place.
Feeling that way, Vlad unconsciously started laughing like the children laughing and talking in front of him.
It would be great if there was a place like this in the back alleys too.
Vlad, who was suffering in a place where he was always cold and hungry, was slowly taking steps forward, drawn by the warmth provided by the bonfire.
Inside that bonfire was everything Vlad had been hungry for as a child.
Warm soup, a shelter with a roof, a cozy blanket, and even my mother’s laughter.
They were all waiting for Vlad inside the bonfire.
Let’s go around, let’s go around the match.
Until the song I was singing ended.
Until everyone who called falls.
[Vlad!]
“……!”
My shoulder hurts for a moment.
Although it was only a dream, Vlad suddenly came to his senses and looked back with a surprised expression.
[Get out of this city right now!]
Then I turned around and saw the place.
An unknown man with a face painted black was shouting at him.
